1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle driver identification. More specifically, the present invention relates to detecting via a wireless communication device when the driver has committed a traffic infraction.
2. Background of the Invention
Currently intersection cameras take a picture of a car when a car runs a red light. When this occurs, the fine for the infraction is sent to the owner of the car. However, the owner of the car was not necessarily the driver during the infraction. Owners may argue that they were not even in the car during the period of time of the incident.
The owner of the car involved in the infraction is notified of the infraction by receiving pictures in the mail of the incident. These pictures include pictures from the front or overhead showing the red light and a picture from the back which is a close up of the car's license plate. Municipalities use the license plate to figure out an address to send the ticket to. However, these pictures are often fuzzy and a clear identification of a driver can rarely be made. Unfortunately for the driver, getting out of the ticket would require going to court and showing, for instance, that he or she was not driving the car.
Present-day technology can alleviate many of the problems concerning driver identification and notification. Notably, microelectronic devices are becoming more and more ubiquitous. By coupling processors, memories, and transceivers to these devices, almost any handheld object can become a wireless communication device capable of transmitting and receiving data over a network. It is easy to set up a personal-area network with a few such devices incorporated into various everyday objects. However, this functionality is currently not being exploited to its full level.
What is needed is a means for identifying a driver who committed a traffic infraction and notifying the driver of the traffic infraction.